Child&#39;s vehicle



sept. 11, 192s. 1,683,872

N. H. DAvxs CHILD S VEHICLE Filed April 30, 1925 vv/ TNESS Br 2m 07? .mf/@Ld TTRNEV Patented sept. 11, 1928.

UNITED STATES' PATENT OFFICE.

l NATHAN- H.l DAvIs, or rnILADELPnIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIeNoa To xE'YsToNn l LAN'rEnN conrANY, A eonronA'rIoN or Naw JERSEY.

cmmvs vEHIeLn. y

Application am Aprn 30,1925. [semi No. 27,042.

, My invention `relates-to childrens vehicles, and particularly to that type which may be feet overl the ground as in paddling, and the object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient construction `of vehicle, including an improved frame, which overcomes a` certam weakness and danger of breakage 1nherent 1n the usual constructlomand 1s par- I ticularly adapted to withstand hard usage, thus being capable of being used with greater safety, as well as having a longer life.

In vehicles of this character having the usual frame o f tubing, it has been found that 1 reenforcing sleeve, which is fitted around .the

' reach at that point, does not altogether eliminate this difficulty, as the reaches frequentlyfracture within the sleeves when subj ected to lieav'y strain.

According to the present invention, I pro- I vide a frame ofjtubing in which the reach and the-.fork at the rear end thereof (for fork and also of providing a strong Support supporting the rear axle and wheels), are brought together below and adjacent to" the seat, and which includes a coupling of relatively heavier and stronger construction, that is located substantially midway between the front and r'ear wheels and that serves the dual function of uniting the reach and the for the adjustable seat-post, whereby t ob'viate any weakening of the frame at the latter pointf, nothe'r object of the invention is to provide an improved vehicle of this type, 1n which the seat hasrbothA vertical and. horizontal. adjustment, the vertical adjustment enabling the child to be positioned on the seat so that its feet may be run over thegroundY as in paddling, and the horizontal adjustment enabling the child to operate properly 'the pedals without disturbing the paddling ad-` j ustment.l

" `VYith these and other objects in view, the

' invention comprises all of the various novel features of constructie@ #ad arrangement,

hereinafterrset forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which#- l Figure 1 is a perspective lv iew ofmy improved vehicle;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof on a somewhat reduced scale;

Fig. 3-is a rear elevation, also on a somewhat reduced scale; and

Figs. 4. and 5 are enlarged fragmentary viewsshowing the coupling in detail. j

Referring to the drawing, my improved childs vehicle embodiesa front or steering Wheel 1, a pair of transversely spaced rear f wheels 2 and a seat 3 arranged at a higher elevation than and substantially midway between the wheels. The front wheel is profvi'ded withA pedals 4, by means of which the vehicle may be propelled in the,usual manner of a velocipede, and this wheel is mounted in a steering fork 5 pivotally supported atthe front end ofthe frame of the vehicle and adapted to be turned byhandle bars 6. Iii/the preferred' embodiment of the invention, the

fork has a stem or steering post? rotatably, mounted within a tubular socket or steering head 8 provided at the front end ofthe frame,

tends longitudinallyfrom front to rear and is preferably inclined slightly downwardly and rearwardly, as shown. Atits rear end, the rea-ch is united to the fork 10 and the .parts rigidly secured togetherby means of a coupling 11. The rear fork is preferably of substantially inverted U-shape, although not necessarily so,`since. it may be-of` inverted V-shape, and the sides or branches .12 of the rear fork project laterally on opposite sides of the coupling and are inclined rearwardly and downwardly in spaced relation and are provided at their rear extremities with transverselyaligned bearings 13 in which the rear axle 14 is supported with its ends. projecting laterally therefrom and carrying the rear wheels 2.

The colplihg iS 0f relatively heavier which is securely held therein by means of pins 20. This is the preferred arrangement 'and permits the fork to be formed of a. single piece of tubing which, inthe construction of the frame, 1s forced through the transverse member 18 of the coupling and is then bent on opposite sides thereof to form the sides or branches 12. I

It is t'o be noted that the coupling is located substantially midway between the front and rear wheels and that the reach and the rear fork are brought-together jbelovw and adj aeent 'to the seat 3, whereby to permit the coupling -11 to serve the dual function of rigidly uniting the parts, as above described, and of alsol providing a strong support for the seat. The reach and the rear fork are of a length to Sup- 'j port the rear wheels in' rearwardly spaced relation to the front wheelyto provide-an unobstructed leg space therebetween to permit the vehicle yto be propelled either by the pedf als or by running the 'feet over the groundas in paddling.

For supporting the seat,` a socket 21 is.

formed in the coupling and opens outwardly through both the top and bottom thereof, and receives ay seat-post 22 which passes downwardly entirely through the coupling i and is adjustable therein to support the seat at the required elevation, a set screw 23 being threaded into thecoupling and impinglng against the seat-post to secure it in vertically adjusted position. The upper endof the seat-post is'angularly disposed as at 24 and extends rearwardly and substantially horlzontally and is engaged by a clamp 25 secured to the undersideof the seat and by gitudinally of the vehicle; that is, from front to rear.` The clamp is 'fixed in position on the angularly disposed end 24 of the seat-post by a'set screwr26. The vertical adjustment of the seat enables the child to be positioned thereon so that its feetrmay b e run over the ground as in paddling, and the horizontal adjustment of the seat enables the child to op erate properly the pedals'without disturbing the paddling adjustment. f l

The socket 21 preferably extends through the coupling intermediate of thesockets 16 and 19, and in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the axes thereof so that the seat-post clears the portions of the' reach and rear fork secured therein respectively. The socket 21 is thus located at about the center of the-coupling and in the longi- I' if desired, with a counterbore 27 extending' rearwardly fromthe socket 16 and opening into the socket 19. f

From the foregoing description it will be 'l seen that I lhave provided an improved construction .of childs vehicle in which the-seatpost is entirely supported by the couplingV between t-he reach and rear fork, instead of passing through and weakening the reach in i the usual manner and hence the latter defect is overcome and the necessity ofrfproviding a reenforcing sleeve on the reach is obviated. The coupling, being of stronger construction than the reach and rear fork, is adapted to withstand the additional strain imposed upon it and serves its dual function of rigidly uniting the reach and fork and 'ofpro- Viding a strong support for the seat, withoutattendant weakening of the frame of theA vehicle.

Furthermore, I have provided a childs vehicle adapted to be propelled either by paddling or by pedalling, in which the seat may Abe readily adjusted to permit children of different sizes to ride the vehicle conven-` iently 'and comfortably and when adjustexit vertically to the proper height for paddling,

may befurther adj usted'horizontally lto the proper distance for pedalling without disturbing the paddling adjustment.

^ -My improved construction isfsimple and efficient, effects substantial economies 1nA manufacture, aords maximum strength and durability, may be used with'safety, and

.will stand hard usage without breakage. means of which the seat may be shifted lon- Having thus described my invention, I

claim and desire to protect by Letters Pat:

ent ofthe United States:

1. A @hars vehicle ye-the character described, comprising a front wheel mounted for steeringandprovided withv pedals, atubular reach, a separate, tubular, rear fork,

rear wheels carried by the rear fork, a coufpling' connecting the rear fork and the reach and located substantially midway between the f-ront and rea-r wheels, and a seat adjustably mounted in. said coupling and supported thereby" between said front and rear wheels,l 'the sides of therear fork being inclined rearwardly and downwardly be ian `tween the coupling and the axis ofthe rear wheels, and the reach and rear fork being of a length to support the rear Wheels in rearwardly spaced relation to the front Wheel to provide an unobstructed leg space therebetween to permit the vehicle to be propelled from the seat either bythe pedals or by running the feet-over the ground as in paddling. y

2. A childs vehicle of the character described, comprising a reach, a fork at the rear end thereof, a T-coupling formed in its longitudinal and transverse members with sockets in which, respectively, said reach and fork are received and secured, said coupling being also formed in its longitudinal member with another socket extending entirely therethrough between said first-mentioned sockets and at an angle to the plane of axes of the same, and the longitudinal member of said coupling increasing in width toward said transverse member to reenforce said coupling on opposite sides of said 'last-mentioned socket, a seatepost mounted in said last-mentioned socket and slidable therein entirely through said coupling, and means for securing said seat-post in different adj usted positions in said coupling.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

NATHAN H. DAvIvs'. 

